Holographic Intimacy: Manua Consoles Apgar
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Krag initiates the holographic recreation by commanding the program to run, unlocking Manua and Apgar's frozen interaction.
Manua reassures and physically comforts Apgar, revealing her supportive role in his professional struggles.
Apgar makes a desperate plea for more time, hinting at deeper professional pressures and personal promises between them.
Their affectionate exchange culminates in Apgar's exit, leaving Manua alone as Riker's arrival is heard off-screen.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Externally calm and clinical; internally calculating—measuring witness responses and testing whether the replay will produce decisive evidence or motive.
Krag watches Manua carefully, assesses her composure, and then authoritatively commands the holodeck replay to run—deliberately moving the inquiry from static evidence to active demonstration.
- • To produce demonstrative evidence that clarifies sequence and motive.
- • To control the investigative environment and elicit authentic reactions.
- • To evaluate Manua's credibility and emotional state for the inquiry.
- • Objective reproductions (holodeck replays) will reveal truth more reliably than testimony alone.
- • Observing private moments in evidence may expose motive or exonerate suspects.
- • A measured procedural approach will withstand political scrutiny.
Warmly devoted on the surface, quietly hopeful and steadying—her tenderness masks an awareness of risk but projects reassurance.
Manua is physically attentive and affectionate in the replay: she straightens Apgar's suit and accessory, brushes off his jacket, touches his hand and cheek, smiles, and checks herself in a mirror before moving toward the doorway.
- • To calm and steady Apgar before the arrivals/inspection.
- • To present Apgar (and their household) as stable and charming to visitors.
- • To protect the domestic normalcy of their relationship from public scrutiny.
- • To maintain optimism for their future despite tension.
- • A little charm and composure will shape outsiders' impressions favorably.
- • Her love and support can steady Apgar and influence the outcome.
- • Material rewards are less important than intimacy ("I have all the reward I need").
Desperate and tense outwardly, striving to maintain dignity while clinging to the hope that extra time will validate his work and protect his family.
Apgar appears impatient and brittle in the replay: pleading for time, exchanging a brief kiss with Manua, promising future rewards, then exiting toward the other room as though summoned to the investigation.
- • To buy time for his experiment and avoid immediate judgment.
- • To reassure and reward Manua—preserve her loyalty and confidence.
- • To present as cooperative and composed to incoming investigators.
- • If given more time, his experiment will succeed and vindicate him.
- • Promising a better future will keep his spouse supportive and patient.
- • The personal warmth of his domestic life is worth preserving publicly.
Absent visually; implied loyalty to Apgar and functionally connected to the experiment—neutral but implicated by mention.
Tayna is only referenced by Apgar as his assistant ('My assistant Tayna...')—she is not physically present in the living-room replay but her name situates her within Apgar's working life.
- • To support Apgar's experimental work when called upon.
- • To carry out tasks or testify if required by investigators.
- • Apgar relies on her assistance for the experiment's operation.
- • Her role is to be cooperative with investigators and support Apgar's claims.
Neutral and duty-bound—his off-stage arrival punctures the intimacy and reasserts institutional procedure.
Riker is present only as an off-stage voice introducing himself and Geordi as he and La Forge materialize in the other room; his tone is formal and professional, initiating the transition from private replay back to investigatory business.
- • To formally identify himself and his colleague to the occupants.
- • To proceed with the investigation and gain access to Apgar.
- • To maintain Starfleet protocol while cooperating with local authorities.
- • Proper identification and procedure will facilitate cooperation.
- • A calm, professional approach is the appropriate response during sensitive inquiries.
Professional and focused on the technical aspects of the investigation; neutral in the domestic replay itself.
Geordi is referenced by Riker as accompanying him; he is implied as the technical officer present for the investigation though he does not appear visually in this replay moment.
- • To assist Riker and provide technical expertise for the inquiry.
- • To evaluate evidence and holodeck/data fidelity once engaged.
- • Technical evidence and diagnostics will clarify what happened.
- • His presence will strengthen the investigative team's credibility.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The small alcove table anchors the domestic set and physically situates Manua and Apgar's motions; while not handled directly in the lines, it serves as a stage prop that receives gestures and supports the image of a modest private life being replayed as evidence.
Apgar's beaten-down suit functions as a tactile signifier of the man's worn dignity: Manua straightens the lapel and brushes the fabric, using it to image him as presentable and respectable to arriving investigators. The suit anchors the domestic detail of the replay and visually contrasts ambition with decay.
The investigative holodeck program is the mechanism of the event: it is initially frozen, preserving a private moment, and then unfreezes on Krag's command to replay the domestic interaction for observers. Narratively it literalizes evidence presentation and forces emotional reconsideration of motive.
The holodeck living-room mirror is used by Manua to take a private beat and adjust her hair, providing a moment of self-composure and private reflection within the replay. It doubles as a visual device that frames the couple's intimacy and shows their faces to the observers.
The holodeck doors and their peripheral sensors register the off-stage materialization sound heard from the other room; they frame the transition between private replay and the investigators' arrival, providing a sound cue that punctures the intimate moment.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Manua's dramatic entrance in Riker's deposition contrasts with her supportive role in Apgar's simulation, both exploring how perspective changes truth."
"Manua's dramatic entrance in Riker's deposition contrasts with her supportive role in Apgar's simulation, both exploring how perspective changes truth."
Key Dialogue
"APGAR: "I just need time... A little more time.""
"MANUA: "I have all the reward I need.""
"RIKER (O.S.): "Doctor Apgar? I'm Commander William Riker; Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge.""